Lessons for life.

I have no means to check the authenticity of the claim but the story that follows is attributed to LK Advani as a lesson he gave to young aspirants into the political arena. What makes it worth remembering is how well it applies to life in general and how wonderfully it illustrates the point of how to live- and survive!

So here goes... Mr Advani started the usual way... " Once upon a time..." It appeared this was going to be yet another one of those speeches that one hears but does not listen and easily forgets. But this could not be farther from the truth!

He went on.

" ... in a snow bound land, there was a bird. It had snowed heavily in the night. The land was freezing, the lake had frozen over. But the bird needed to eat. So she set out. Soon, she realised that she had made a serious mistake. The cold was penetrating into the tiny delicate bones. She sat on a branch to rest as she could not go on. Within momemts, the bird had frozen solid! Still alive, but rapidly slipping towards death, the bird prayed with all her might.

God answered the prayer. A bull came sauntering by. This bull was relieving himself and the shit fell on the frozen bird. The heat thawed the bird and she started twittering. The bull could not be bothererd! He moved on.

Next came a fox. In this frozen land, food was scarce for the fox. She was desperate. She heard the chirping of a bird and started localising the sound. To her surprise she found that the sound was emanating from a pile of shit. Wel... she was ravenously hungry. She investigated and found the bird. She picked her up, cleaned her and ate her up!"

Now, Mr Advani paused. The silence was filled with heavily baited breaths. All were waiting for the next words.

Advani ji continued," So, what do you understand from this story?" None of those present could make out. They were all young and inexperienced. "No one?"

He, then, proceeded to expound on the meaning of the story. " The first thing you must learn from this story is that when the weather is inclement, you should not venture out! The bird would not have got into any trouble if she had stayed in during the freezing cold!

Next, Everyone that dirties you or sullies you is not necessarily your enemy. The bull defeacated on the bird, making her dirty. He, however, provided the vital heat that could revive the bird.

As important is it to remember that everyone who cleans you up may not necessarily be your well wisher! The fox cleaned up the bird- only to eat her up!

All of the above are obvious to any casual observer. The most important lesson to be learnt from this story, however, is that... when in deep shit- donot make a noise and advertise it!"

This story made a deep impact on me when I first read it. It is not just about politics... but also about life in general.

In life we often venture out in unfavourable circumstances without being prepared for them. Though it is true that there would be no gains without taking risks, it is foolish to rush headlong without a thought to consequences.

There are times when we feel insulted and 'dirtied' by people we encounter in life. Without realising that these individuals may actually be saving our lives by alerting us to fatal flaws, we feel slighted and decide to distance ourselves from them. Rather they are the ones we should be actively seeking out as they will be instrumental in our growth.

Those who are nice and sugary with us are often the ones we like to associate with. These people may really be planning our end.

And ofcourse! Why can we not keep our mouth shut when in trouble rather than invite attention to our misfortune.